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In wake of crisis, questions remain

So said Willard city manager Brian Humphress of the teenager who shot and killed one hostage and himself Wednesday night after a three-hour standoff in Willard’s Family Dollar store.

Police are still working to nail down the motive of gunman Shawn Schuett, 19, of Egypt Road, but it remains unclear if they’ll ever reach a satisfying conclusion.

“It’s becoming more and more apparent he intended it as a suicide,” Willard police chief Mark Holden said.

Holden and his officers plan to continue conducting interviews with all those involved in Wednesday’s ordeal — including several people whom Schuett called while he was inside the store.

Schuett walked into the West Walton Street Family Dollar at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, armed with a .22-caliber rifle he’d just purchased at a nearby Ace Hardware, police said.

Inside were three women who would soon become Schuett’s hostages.

Customer JoAnn Sarver, of Tiffin, escaped first, after convincing Schuett to let her “deliver his message” to the police outside, Holden said. What that message was never came to light.

Employee Dayna Goodsite, 21, of Willard, escaped next, almost three hours after Sarver. Goodsite made a break for it around 8 p.m., when Schuett momentarily dropped his gaze after shooting her co-worker, Holden said.

Assistant manager Kimberly Kelley, 48, of New Washington, was the third and final hostage. Kelley was rushed from the store in an ambulance after Schuett shot her in the head, then turned the gun on himself. She was pronounced dead soon after.

Kelley left behind a husband and three children — the youngest a high school sophomore, Holden said.

Before the incident culminated in her death, Schuett allowed Kelley to call her husband from inside the store and even spoke with him himself, the police chief said.

On Friday afternoon, Holden interviewed Schuett’s mother. Holden said he is unable to provide specifics, but Schuett’s mother discussed her son’s possible mindset.

“He had issues. We’re definitely looking into the mental illness side of the investigation,” Holden said. Investigators will also review toxicology reports to determine if illegal drugs —or a lack of appropriate medication — played into Schuett’s mental state.